


Things I Didn't Want To Know

by chicafrom3



Category: Chess - Rice/Ulvaeus/Andersson
Genre: Community: 1sentence, Competition, Gen, Multiple Universe, Non-Linear Narrative
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-04-25
Updated: 2007-04-25
Packaged: 2017-10-18 03:17:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/184408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chicafrom3/pseuds/chicafrom3





	Things I Didn't Want To Know

#01 – Air  
All it takes is the name _Anatoly Sergievsky_ and the air around Freddy fairly crackles; he swears that he'll take the championship away from the Russian if it's the last thing he does.

#02 – Apples  
Florence brought an apple with her to Anatoly's hotel room; he watched her eat it and found himself wondering if she'd taken it from Freddy's room.

#03 – Beginning  
Anatoly started playing chess when he was six, fascinated by the board game that his grandfather brought to him; Freddy started when he was nine, blocking out the sounds of his parents' fighting; somehow, both men came to this place, staring across the board at each other.

#04 – Bugs  
"I hate you and everything you stand for," Freddy said, blunt as always, but they'd been enemies for so long that Anatoly just laughed and took it as easily as if the American had commented on what nice weather they were having.

#05 – Coffee  
"I trust you don't think I'm passing messages through my coffee orders?" Anatoly inquired bitterly, and was taken aback when Freddy answered in a tone that almost passed for joking, "Of course, in the number of sugars, don't think I haven't noticed that it changes with every game."

#06 – Dark  
Years later, the American chess master's eyes still go dark when he's reminded of the tournament that lost him both Florence and the world champion title.

#07 – Despair  
Anatoly tasted despair and could think of nothing but Florence and Svetlana and Molokov's insidious threats and Viigand--and then Freddy was there, taking his mind off it with customary carelessness: "Because I love chess! Does nobody else?"

#08 – Doors  
"It's our talent, our fame, that opens these doors for them; doesn't that bother you?" Anatoly demanded, gesturing at the press vultures waiting outside; Freddy shrugged and grinned and said, "Let's go and give them a show, partner."

#09 – Drink  
Anatoly never told anyone about the time Freddy showed up at his hotel room door in Bangkok, drunk and rambling about Florence and the queen's gambit.

#10 – Duty  
Anatoly stared at the chessboard, thoughts swimming in his head; maybe it was his duty to lose, but the American had had a point, his only duty was to himself and to the game.

#11 – Earth  
Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust; Anatoly Sergievsky looked down thoughtfully at the earth that covered the body of a genius who'd burned himself out too quickly.

#12 – End  
"Checkmate."

#13 – Fall  
Freddy hadn't so much fallen for Florence as grown into her; suddenly she was gone, deserted him for that damn Russian, and he couldn't seem to find his footing anymore.

#14 – Fire  
"Molokov, you're fired," Anatoly said peaceably, then couldn't stop a smile as, unbidden, an image of Freddy and Florence's faces if they'd heard that popped into his mind.

#15 – Flexible  
"Well, hell, pardner," Freddy slurred, leaning heavily against the door, "I'm flexible--your opening."

#16 – Flying  
"It isn't like flying," Anatoly said, frowning, searching for the words; "It's like crashing," Freddy shot back.

#17 – Food  
"Have you been eating?" Anatoly asked when the press cleared out; Freddy smirked thinly and said pointedly, "Well, Florence hasn't been around to remind me..."

#18 – Foot  
Anatoly wasn't sure what had inspired him to visit the American in the hospital, but standing there, he thought Freddy looked like he had one foot in the grave, and he wished to God he'd decided to go anywhere else.

#19 – Grave  
Anatoly Sergievsky knelt down next to the grave of Frederick Trumper; he carried no flowers, he uttered no prayers, but he tucked a pocket chess set next to the headstone and said, "I hope you can finally rest, Freddy."

#20 – Green  
"You're positively green with envy, Sergievsky," Freddy observed, pushing his bishop across the board; Anatoly ignored him and said, "Checkmate in three moves."

#21 – Head  
Freddy had always been the head of the class, the best at the game; he would never admit it to anyone, but when he sat across the board from the Russian champion, it was the first time in his life he'd felt nervous about the outcome of the game.

#22 – Hollow  
The American shot off a jab about the absence of Svetlana; the Russian's answering smile was hollow and mirthless, and the small victory felt like a loss.

#23 – Honor  
"There's no honor in winning a match against an unskilled opinion," Anatoly offered as his excuse for coming: "At least when I beat you I know I've won something worth winning."

#24 – Hope  
"I've given up thinking I can win Florence back," Freddy said, uncharacteristically soft, "So let's just play the game, Commie."

#25 – Light  
There was no light at the end of the tunnel, and neither man was sure when they had come to accept that.

#26 – Lost  
Sometimes--when the press was not there; when Florence was occupied elsewhere; when the game was done for the moment--sometimes Freddy let his guard down, thinking he was unobserved, and Anatoly found himself studying the man who was usually so aggressive and arrogant, suddenly seeming as small and defenseless as a lost child.

#27 – Metal  
"Nerves of steel, huh?" Freddy mocked Anatoly before opening the game with his favorite gambit; was Anatoly imagining things, or was there a note of respect in the other man's voice?

#28 – New  
The first time they played, they played in front of thousands of cameras and an attentive audience; Anatoly was confident in his ability to defeat this young upstart, and Freddy needled him mercilessly with each move; they played to a fistfight.

#29 – Old  
The last time they played, two months before Freddy's death, they played in a park with no one around but themselves; Anatoly was confident in his ability to beat his old enemy, and Freddy needled him mercilessly with each move; they played to a stalemate.

#30 – Peace  
"So this is the world at peace," Freddy said and sighed; "I'm getting old, I still remember when you people were the enemy," and Anatoly raised an eyebrow and echoed " _Us people_?"

#31 – Poison  
The arbiter accused Freddy of poisoning the atmosphere with his pointed barbs against the Russian contingent, but Anatoly just struggled to find a retort.

#32 – Pretty  
"Do you tell Florence she's pretty?" Freddy asked, and without waiting for an answer continued, "Because I can't remember if I ever did...tell her she's pretty, okay, partner?"

#33 – Rain  
When Anatoly arrived, too late for the funeral, he found Florence there struggling with tears and unable to meet his eyes.

#34 – Regret  
"Do you regret it?" Freddy asked, looking straight ahead: "Not losing for Florence, I mean"; Anatoly thought it over, and then didn't answer.

#35 – Roses  
"You could have at least brought roses," Anatoly said with a straight face before letting the American into his room; Freddy blinked, placed his pocket chess set down on the table, and asked carefully, "Was that a... _joke_?"

#36 – Secret  
"How did you do it?" Freddy persisted, "How did you beat him?" and Anatoly winked at him and walked off, pleased with himself.

#37 – Snakes  
Dark hair snaked down over his forehead, falling into dark eyes as he focused on the board and his opponent.

#38 – Snow  
"It's snowing in Moscow right now," Anatoly said vaguely, and Freddy blinked at him and didn't understand; he'd probably never been homesick in his life.

#39 – Solid  
Everything was falling apart: Svetlana was losing faith in him, Florence was distancing herself, his family was in danger, and he was actually afraid of losing to this Viigand character--how sick was it that the only one he could lean on for stability was his longtime enemy, the ex-lover of his own lover, the aggressively self-possessed American chess champion now talking him through how to defeat Viigand?

#40 – Spring  
"A spring wound too tight, perhaps," Anatoly suggested, "But he's not a lunatic, Molokov."

#41 – Stable  
"I'm not very stable when I'm sober," Freddy said, not sounding apologetic, "I can only guess what I'm like when I'm drunk--surprised you haven't thrown me out yet."

#42 – Strange  
"Do you miss it--the competition, the tournaments?" Anatoly asked, and then could have cursed himself for expecting an honest answer; he was surprised when Freddy looked at him thoughtfully and then said, "I miss playing against _you_."

#43 – Summer  
Summer in Bangkok was too hot and too wet, but neither man noticed, preoccupied with the game--and with Florence.

#44 – Taboo  
It was their third game this week--their third game altogether since Bangkok--and Freddy thought bemusedly that it was getting to be a habit; he was surprised when Anatoly sat down across from him and said coolly, "You know you can ask about Florence if you like."

#45 – Ugly  
Anatoly had seen a lot of ugly things in his life, but watching the American champion losing his grip on sanity right in front of him had to be among the worst.

#46 – War  
"You do realize that _Cold War_ means no shooting?" the Russian asked; the American scowled and walked away.

#47 – Water  
Freddy's mouth was dry and from the way Anatoly was licking his lips he guessed the other man was having the same problem; still, neither reached for a glass of water, unwilling to leave a weakness exposed.

#48 – Welcome  
"Welcome to Merano," the mayor said with a too-wide smile; Freddy scowled to himself and scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of his competition.

#49 – Winter  
Snow fell in drifts, the windows and paths were iced over, and the Russian sat on his porch, looked out at the winter wonderland, and saw none of it; he was replaying that last match in his head, over and over.

#50 – Wood  
The chessboard was hand-carved wood, the pieces sleek and smooth and intricate; ten-year-old Freddy handled them carefully, almost reverently; years later, when the wood was worn and scuffed, he still loved it dearly, and it took a lot for him to use it in casual matches against other people--he only took it out for the people who mattered: Florence and Anatoly were the only two to regularly handle the pieces besides himself.


End file.
